Hollywood is currently experiencing what NFL teams call "Victory Monday." Box office revenue is booming thanks to two exciting new films, suggesting that the commercial future of cinema is much brighter than the pessimists imagine: A24 achieved its biggest box office ever with Kayn Parsons' "Behind the Scenes," which grossed $118 million worldwide, while Curry Barker's "Obsession" posted a second consecutive weekend of box office growth, surpassing the $100 million mark.
Weekends like these are becoming increasingly rare, so the industry needs to celebrate them whenever they occur. The next step is to find lessons that can be applied to future films. And make no mistake, both "Behind the Scenes" and "Obsession" pave the way for filmmakers and studios seeking to connect with tomorrow's audiences. But not everyone seems to understand that these are two different paths.
This weekend's discussions were filled with varying levels of analysis about what Hollywood can learn from the phenomena of Behind the Scenes and Whiplash, with many viewpoints converging on the notion that both films are evidence of a demand for original horror ideas from young creators targeting a Generation Z audience. Some contrasted the success of these films with the 69% decline in box office sales of The Mandalorian and Grog as a sign that demand for franchises is dwindling and originality is now paramount.
There's some truth to this, but too close a connection between the films becomes dangerous. At first glance, they have a lot in common: both films were made by very young directors (Parsons is 20, Barker is 26) who gained popularity on YouTube before moving on to feature-length films. And both films, thanks to savvy marketing campaigns, capitalized on the huge demand for new, high-quality horror films at the box office.
But that's where most of the similarities end. Each film took its own path to its audience, and studios looking to replicate their success would be wise to focus on emulating one or another.
«A24's "Behind the Scenes"
«Backrooms is an intellectual property franchise.
In terms of business models, "Behind the Scenes" is a timeless Hollywood tactic. It's an adaptation of an intellectual property with a huge fan base, expanding its recognizable image and leaving ample room for sequels and spin-offs.
For a generation raised online, "Backstage" is one of the most recognizable images online. What began in 2019 as a 4chan discussion of creepy rooms with dark lighting and endless hallways has evolved into an open-source creepypasta, with countless creators creating their own versions. Parsons is quick to admit he didn't invent the concept, and he's not the only one sharing "Backstage" stories online. But his found-footage videos, which he began uploading to YouTube at age 16, are certainly the most famous. The 24-episode series has amassed over 75 million views as of 2022. Parsons' YouTube channel, Kane Pixels, has over 3 million subscribers.
So, while online audiences may perceive A24's Behind the Scenes as a completely original idea, it's not a new concept borrowed from a low-budget prototype that went viral. The studio and producers like James Wan and Osgood Perkins deserve credit for a number of things, including taking a chance on such a young director and crafting the film in a way that resonates with audiences. But the business model is standard Hollywood.
Behind the Scenes could (and should!) change the way Hollywood operates, but only if it forces studios to rethink the sources of their intellectual property. A case in point is Five Nights at Freddy's, another Blumhouse project that shocked many Hollywood insiders with its box office triumph, despite an entire generation of teenagers having grown up watching the games and YouTube videos devoted to analyzing them. Both films prove that quality online content is often just one step away from becoming a Hollywood franchise. If studios simply become more confident in betting on what Gen Z and Gen Alpha are already watching, rather than what their parents and grandparents watched, there's no reason why their success can't be replicated.
«Obsession ©Focus Features/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
«"Obsession" is an original indie hit that made a real breakthrough.
As you've heard a million times, Curry Barker also got his start on YouTube. But unlike Parsons, he doesn't adapt his previous online work. And there's little thematic similarity between his "this is a bad idea"-style comedy sketches—which are more akin to "I Think You Should Leave" than horror films—and his current status as one of Hollywood's favorite horror icons.
There's no denying that YouTube helped Barker, providing him with a platform to hone his filmmaking skills and build an audience that led to collaborations with managers and connections. But Whiplash's success was largely achieved within the film industry. The film was independently produced on a budget of under $1 million, and much of its promotion followed traditional independent filmmaking methods. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it immediately resonated with audiences and was sold to a distributor after a high-profile rights fight. It then screened at most of the top genre festivals in the fall before its theatrical release in the spring. Now, Barker appears to be capitalizing on the film's success by taking a more traditional route: he's signed on to A24's reboot of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre while simultaneously pitching his own original projects to Hollywood.
If you're looking for proof that quality and originality are still enough to find an audience, Obsession is the best example. Dozens of genre films with similar budgets and casts fail every year, but Obsession works because the film itself is undeniable. I'd compare it more to something like Zach Cregger's The Barbarian. In both films, a relatively unknown comedy star became a major horror director overnight simply by creating a brutal, unexpected, funny, and endlessly gripping film. Barker's YouTube popularity certainly played a role in Obsession's success, but the box office surge suggests it has more to do with incredible word-of-mouth popularity than with the filmmaker leveraging his fan base.
There is enough space for both.
For the film industry to thrive, both models are necessary. A healthy balance of popular franchises and high-quality original projects benefits everyone, and ideally, the former should create an ecosystem that supports the latter. We should all hope that many more Gen Z filmmakers will find ways to create their own "Behind the Scenes" or "Whiplash." But before they embark on either path, they need to decide which one they want. Combining two unique films into a single narrative doesn't help anyone.
The films "Behind the Scenes" and "Obsession" are currently showing in cinemas.
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